Vaughan council pushing for its preferred Yonge subway route options

Yonge North Subway Extension would run 8 km from Finch Station in Toronto to Richmond Hill

yorkregion.com
July 9, 2021
Dina Al-Shibeeb

Vaughan Council voted June 22 in favour of a motion by Coun. Alan Shefman, who recommended the preferred subway route options for the construction of the Yonge North Subway Extension (YNSE).

Shefman's motion is aligning the council's position alongside neighbour Markham, as the “subway extension's route north of Steeles travels along the border of the two municipalities,” the city said in a statement.

Metrolinx proposed three different options for route alignments. Vaughan Council supports Metrolinx’s Option 1 and Option 2 but not Option 3.

-- Option 1: runs fully underground and includes five stations located at Cummer Avenue, Steeles Avenue, Clark Avenue, Langstaff Road, and the Richmond Hill Centre (RHC).

-- Option 2: runs fully underground and includes four stations at Cummer Avenue, Steeles Avenue, Clark Avenue, and Bridge Street West.

Vaughan council has long wanted a subway extension, but does not support Metrolinx’s March 2021 Initial Business Case preferred option.

So far, the YNSE, expected to be completed between 2029 to 2030, represents an eight-kilometre extension of the subway from Finch Station to Richmond Hill.

Vaughan giving its support to the YNSE dates back to December 2013, when the council first endorsed the future planning and funding of the extensions with an initial member’s resolution from Shefman.

Ever since the resolution, Shefman has worked closely with Richmond Hill and Markham councillors, whose wards border on Yonge Street, to promote the building of the subway extension.

Correction -- July 8, 2021: This article was updated from an earlier version to state that Vaughan council supports Metrolinx’s Option 1 and Option 2 but not Option 3. An earlier version said Vaughan council preferred its own route.